The clear command of Christ is to go and make disciples.
For many years, people have left the United States in search of foreign lands absent of the gospel message. While that is still crucial, a new day dawns in sharing the gospel with the nations. Once, an ocean separated us from the peoples of the world. Today, the nations increasingly come to us. In God’s great design, he has drawn the nations into arms reach; they are in our own cities.
Because of this, our church is partnering with NAMB to reach the nations in Washington, DC, and we need your help! The aim is to research and map out as many of the international people group communities in DC as possible and engage them with the gospel. The project is big, and there are several partners already involved, both local churches and denominational agencies. Nevertheless, with over 190 people groups in DC, there is plenty of room for IDC to take a lead in this urgent task.
Over the next 6 months, I (Keelan) will be taking trips weekly to the DC area to supervise this research and engagement. My goal is that we gather enough data to develop a rough map of the city’s people groups and then connect local churches to specific groups to begin church planting work. Already, I have several churches interested in reaching into specific people groups. However, for this task to move forward, there is much work to be done in preparation for these churches.
I have been traveling to DC for about a month now, and needs are already surfacing. These needs are areas where IDC members can get involved in God’s work amongst the nations in DC. For the time being, we need people to:
Pray – This is our front line of offense in international church planting, and the most important request I can make. Please be praying for God to use this obedience and effort from our members who will go. Pray for guidance as we seek out these people, and pray for the Spirit to work miracles in the their hearts as they hear the gospel.
Prepare the guest house – The state convention in Virginia has provided a house inside the District for us to use as a home base, but this place needs some help! It is a beautiful three-story townhouse in a great part of the District oozing with potential. However, the walls are bare and the flat surfaces are dusty. As teams from our church and others come into the city, this guest house can serve as a welcoming place to stay and refresh after a day’s work. It is our desire that a group of people from the church go to DC for a weekend with the simple purpose of serving this work by cleaning and decorating this place. Any Pinterest-friendly folk who are itching to practice your gifts are welcome to help out on this one!
Help with research and church planting – As I travel up every week, there are spots in my car for people who are interested in international church planting to go with me. In discussing this with the elders, we think this could be a great opportunity for those interested in being sent from IDC into an international context to go ahead and begin working in one. If small groups want to go with me on a particular weekend, travel up and housing will be completely free. So, it would be a cheap weekend and way to engage international people groups with the gospel.
Serve as a Growth Group – If entire growth groups want to come, this is a great way to work as a team. The guest house has room for 10-12 people (and many more on air mattresses), and can accommodate entire growth groups, for free. We would love to see some growth groups use this as a way to serve together.
If you are interested in being a part of IDC’s international work in DC, there are several ways to do so. In the coming weeks, there will be an informational table in the lobby, and people will be able to find more info and sign up to help with different aspects of the work. Also, if you have any specific questions, you can always email me at: keelancook@me.com